Power Line Based Theft Protection of Electronic Devices

1. An electronic device for power line based theft protection, the electronic device comprising: a memory; a power line communication module to (i) establish a power line communication connection with a security server over the power line and (ii) receive a network membership key encrypted with a first device encryption key from the security server over the power line; a network admission control module to (i) decrypt the encrypted network membership key with a second device encryption key stored on the memory and (ii) determine whether the encrypted network membership key was successfully decrypted; and a hardware circuit interrupter to physically interrupt an electrical circuit of the electronic device in response to a determination by the network admission control module that the encrypted network membership key was not successfully decrypted.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the power line communication module is to use the decrypted network membership key to join a power line communication network in response to a determination that the encrypted network membership key was successfully decrypted.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the hardware circuit interrupter is to allow the electrical circuit to receive power from the power line in response to a determination that the electronic device has joined the power line communication network.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein to interrupt the electrical circuit comprises to open an electrical circuit breaker of the electronic device to prevent operation of one or more functions of the electronic device.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the hardware circuit interrupter comprises an electronic switch.

6. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the hardware circuit interrupter comprises a solid state device.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device comprises an electronic appliance.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the hardware circuit interrupter integrally forms a part of a critical component of the electronic device.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein to establish the power line communication connection with the security server comprises to establish a power line communication connection with a power line communication adaptor.

10. One or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media comprising a plurality of instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by an electronic device, cause the electronic device to: establish a power line communication connection with a security server over a power line; receive a network membership key encrypted with a first device encryption key from the security server over the power line; decrypt the encrypted network membership key with a second device encryption key stored on the electronic device; determine whether the encrypted network membership key was successfully decrypted; and physically interrupt an electrical circuit of the electronic device with a hardware circuit interrupter in response to a determination that the encrypted network membership key was not successfully decrypted.

11. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the electronic device to use the decrypted network membership key to join a power line communication network in response to a determination that the encrypted network membership key was successfully decrypted.

12. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the hardware circuit interrupter to allow the electrical circuit to receive power from the power line in response to a determination that the electronic device has joined the power line communication network.

13. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 10 , wherein to interrupt the electrical circuit comprises to open an electrical circuit breaker of the electronic device to prevent operation of one or more functions of the electronic device.

14. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 13 , wherein the hardware circuit interrupter comprises at least one of an electronic switch, a relay, or a solid state device.

15. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 10 , wherein the electronic device comprises an electronic appliance.

16. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 10 , wherein the electronic device is embodied as one of a television or a video projector.

17. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 10 , wherein the hardware circuit interrupter integrally forms a part of a critical component of the electronic device.

18. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 10 , wherein to establish the power line communication connection with the security server comprises to establish a power line communication connection with a power line communication adaptor.

19. A security server for power line based theft protection, the security server comprising: a power line communication module to communicate over the power line; a communication module to receive device data associated with an electronic device from a computing device over a communication network different from a power line communication network of the security server, wherein the power line communication network is established between the security server and the electronic device over the power line; a network admission control module to generate a default device encryption key as a function of the device data; and an authentication module to (i) generate a new device encryption key and an asymmetric cryptographic key pair, the asymmetric cryptographic key pair including a public key and a private key, (ii) associate the electronic device with the new device encryption key, and (iii) encrypt the new device encryption key with the default device encryption key; wherein the power line communication module is further to transmit a change device encryption key command to the electronic device over the power line communication network, wherein the change device encryption key command includes the encrypted new device encryption key and the public key.

20. The security server of claim 19 , wherein: the network admission control module is to encrypt a network membership key with a device encryption key associated with the electronic device; and the power line communication module is to transmit the encrypted network membership key to the electronic device over the power line communication network.